Niles Nelson: Outstanding coach, teacher

One of the finest teachers and coaches I had the pleasure to know and compete against has died.

We were sorry to learn of the recent death of Niles Nelson III of Bangor, who for many years, was the boys varsity basketball coach at Hermon High School.

I had the good fortune to get to know Niles a little better than a lot of my competitors because he and I lived on the same street in the Queen City.

I used to be a jogger – believe it or not – and if I spotted Coach Nelson out in his yard, I’d extend my running a few hundred yards or so and stop and chat with the very knowledgeable man.

One night he said to me, “Can I ask you a question?”

I, of course, responded “yes,” and he went quickly in his house, retrieved some paper and a pen, then asked: “What’s your philosophy of breaking a full-court press?”

I drew out our press offense, and he said that my teams at Penquis Valley High School in Milo were always in too much of a hurry to get the ball up the floor versus pressure.

Hmmm. . . I’m thinking. Why would this coach, whom I respected deeply, take the time on a summer’s evening to show me how to do this better?

Until the day I retired from teaching and coaching hoops four years ago, my teams ran coach Nelson’s system in the full-court as we made our way toward the basket.

Here’s why he took time out from his day to discuss more than the weather.

Niles Nelson was a teacher, from the start of his day until he fell asleep.

A great athlete himself, coach Nelson starred at South Portland High School and Washburn University.

Before one Hermon-Penquis game years ago, I asked the clever coach, who, in the high school ranks was known for his tenacious man-to-man defense and an intricate high post offense, why he never had shared with me his own exploits on the many fields of play he dominated.

“Don’t believe everything you hear,” he said. Then, he chuckled, and his eyes sparkled, as if to say, “Yeah, I was pretty good.”

In this day and age of flash, I’d rank Niles at the top of any list I could put together of coaches who never got their public due.

I count special the number of hours we spent together on the sidelines, jockeying – sorry, coach, I couldn’t resist a horseracing analogy – our teams for position in our attempt to win a high school basketball game. Niles took great pride in how his teams looked, played, and performed. He was truly a master strategist, never failing to place his players in a position to win.

That ultimate coaching status that all coaches attempt to accomplish usually seemed to be the goal of Hermon High School basketball when Niles Nelson III was calling the shots for his beloved Hawks.

Rest in peace, old friend. You were truly a remarkable teacher and coach, and your memory will live on for years in the products of your classroom and coaching expertise.

30-Second Time Out

We are also sad to learn of the death of a former great Bangor High and John Bapst athlete, Charlie Dionne.

Charlie brought his considerable athletic skills to BHS in the fall of 1968. He as an outstanding football player, and when he and his pal Sam Estey transferred to the outer Broadway school from Bapst, the athletic fortunes of Bangor High improved.

Charlie came from a long list of great Bapst athletes, including his brother Jim “Biggie” Dionne. Both were Hall-of- Fame caliber players.

bdnsports@bangordailynews.net